This last Sunday in our Adult Bible Class, we discussed the topic of the Mosaic Law given to Moses in Exodus 20-31. Do the laws given to Moses still apply today? What does Christ have to do with the Law? Are Christians obligated to keep the Old Testament Mosaic laws? My friend Chad Bird just so happened to post the following on FaceBook this last Monday. Many of the passages we looked up in class Chad sites here. Many Christians are confused over the relationship of the law to the Christian faith. I hope the following is a helpful reminder of who we are in Christ and what Christ has done for you and me. 

Q: Do Christians live under the Old Covenant or the New Covenant?

A: Christians live under the New Covenant, not a revamped or improved version of the Old. Jeremiah 31:31–34 prophesied this chadash (Hebrew for “new” or “fresh”) covenant, fully quoted in Hebrews 8:8–12—the longest Old Testament quote in the New Testament. The Old Covenant, with its laws, sacrifices, and rituals, was temporary and inadequate (Hebrews 10:1–4). Christ’s perfect, once-for-all sacrifice has made it obsolete (Hebrews 8:13).

Q: Are Christians still bound by Old Covenant laws like Sabbath observance, dietary restrictions, or festivals?

A: No. Those laws—including Sabbath regulations, kosher rules, and feasts like Passover or Yom Kippur—were specific to Israel and fulfilled in Christ. With the coming of the New Covenant, these obligations no longer apply (Galatians 3:24–25; Colossians 2:16). In Christ, Jews and Gentiles alike are united in one body and live in gospel freedom.

Q: What does Christian freedom mean under the New Covenant?

A: Christian freedom isn’t moral chaos. It’s the freedom to live as God designed us—bearing the image of Christ. It means living by faith, walking in love, and serving our neighbors through our vocations—whether as parents, spouses, workers, or friends. Freedom is expressed not in self-indulgence, but in self-giving love.

Q: Do any laws still apply to Christians?

A: Yes. Moral laws like “do not murder” or “do not steal” are universal. They existed before the Old Covenant, were affirmed within it, and remain binding today as ways that we love our neighbor (Romans 13:9). These laws reflect God’s unchanging character and continue to shape our lives as Christians.

Q: Why is the New Covenant so significant?

A: The New Covenant brings forgiveness, transformation, and heart-deep knowledge of God. Through Christ, we are made new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17), and God remembers our sins no more (Jeremiah 31:34). Rejoice in this freedom, sing a new song (Psalm 98:1), and live to love and serve!

I’ll leave you with a few more passages to consider that shed light on the question of the relation of the law to believing Christian:

Romans 10:4 – For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Matthew 5:17 – “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Romans 8:3–4 – For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

You are a child of the New Covenant. Rest in the work and promises of Christ. You are forgiven! You are free! You are his! 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

 – Pastor Darrin Sheek